Charles Fasoldt, Albany, New York, USA, 1874. This clock was a model made by Fasoldt in 1874 to demonstrate his detached gravity escapement and remontoire dial actuator used in the tower clocks his firm produced. The model as well as a full sized tower clock that mirrored the model was exhibited in the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876 and was awarded a gold medal. The escapement was used in his other domestic clocks that had the pendulum above the movement and the dial remontoire in the ten tower clocks he built. Of the four I know of one was installed in the Pennsylvania Reading Railroad, Albany Bank, and two still in their original installations at the University of Northern Iowa (since moved in 2020 from the base of the Campanile tower to the University president's office - it's good to be president) and the Union Church (now the Ebenezer Baptist Church) in Newburg, New York.

Fasoldt is considered one of the finest and innovative American clock and watch makers. He had a fairly limited production of about 350 watches, 20 domestic regulators, 10 tower clocks and this model, making his work quite collectible. The model described here being unique.

His regulator and shelf clocks are highly prized and of the finest quality and his extremely rare tower clocks of which only 4 are known in addition to this model are of great importance to historians and collectors. The one at Newburgh, New York, being the only remaining example in its original installation and still running, and was restored in 1996-98 by members of the NAWCC. One he made for the 1876 centennial remains on display at the Northern Iowa State University but is no longer functioning. His clock movements are even more beautiful than his watch movements. Charles Fasoldt was born in 1818 and was a native of Dresden, Germany. He emigrated to the United States in 1848, and from 1849 to 1861 he lived in Rome, N.Y. He moved to Albany in 1861 and lived there for the rest of his life, dying in 1898 and passed away at 9:00 PM on May 13, 1898.

The model, left, the tower clock installed at the Albany Saving Bank, middle, and the full sized clock at the Centennial, right which later was donated to the University of Northern Iowa. It is currently on display in the university president's office.

The model, forefront and the Albany Bank tower clock which was based upon the model design. The additional cam work to the right of the dial remontoire winding barrel controlled the gas lighting of the exterior dials. ALL photos above, curtsey and copyright © Donald Saff.

This illustration seems to conflict with the information below. Here it is claimed that the tower clock that was in the 1876 Centennial exhibition was to be installed in the Albany Savings Bank, but it is likely that a second tower clock, nearly identical to the one at the exhibition was made for the Albany bank shortly after the exhibition. This illustration depicts a fully manually wound mechanism, while the one below looks to have had additional components for perhaps electrical winding as well as actuation of the bells in the tower. The case has a slice taken from the bottom rail as well as a much more modern mechanism in foreground, perhaps a night silencing cam system?

Following the Centennial Exposition, the tower clock was put into storage until its creator's death thirteen years later. At that time, Charles Fasoldt willed the clock, valued at $5,000, to the institution or municipality that could guarantee the best care and setting for the masterpiece. From over 300 competitors, [the] Teachers College of the University of Northern Iowa was chosen for the gift. It is unknown why there was such a delay between Fasoldt's death and the final disposition of the clock, 38 years later. This photo shows the full-sized tower clock exhibited in the Centennial Exposition being dedicated at its installation in May 1927 at the University of Northern Iowa. The clock was started by the president, Mr. Seerley of the school, holding the pendulum, and Fasoldt's grandson, Dudley, with his watch - a Fasoldt to be sure - are shown at the moment of the starting of the clock.

Notice that the pendulum continues through a slot in the floor of the clock case. The model has an identical slot in the same place of its case. This slot is not used because the model has a one-half second pendulum and thus the pendulum is too short to make use of the slot. It may be possible that Fasoldt originally designed the model movement to use a one second pendulum.

Prior to 1950, the clockworks ran on a complicated system of wires, gears, motors, and a long wooden shaft. The growing inaccuracy of this system, however, led the college to invest in a minor change of gears. In 1950, this older clockwork system was replaced by a more modern, electrical system, in which a master clock directs the large hands on all four sides of the campanile; the original clockworks were retired and put on display inside the campanile. Until its move in 2020 to the university president's office (see below).